The walls would slowly but surely close in and it would be a race against time to save our heroes from being squashed.
It is a bit like that now when it comes to Earth and the environment. Humans have so badly damaged the planet, its wildlife and ecosystems during the past century or so that, whichever direction you choose to look, environmental disasters are inexorably squeezing in and will eventually snuff us out, unless we can somehow save ourselves.
It’s a grim picture and, unfortunately, even grimmer for the children and grandchildren of the world. It puts the angst of the All Blacks’ current form in its proper place if only more people might realise, consider and take action on these far more critical threats to our existence than how well we are doing in the rugby.
Matters are looking especially depressing on the world environmental stage and in the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. Not only does this war have terrible human consequences, but also it wrecks the environment as much as it does the economy.
Physical damage from bomb blasts and missile strikes is not just confined to buildings but also affects trees and forests, while unexploded weapons lie in the ground, leaching goodness-knows-what nasty chemicals into the soil for future generations to have to deal with.
But without a doubt, the worst possible environmental concern is what is happening around the nearly 40-year-old Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the southeast.
Zaporizhzhia can generate a whopping 5700 megawatts of electricity — approximately six times as much as our largest power station at Huntly — and is the biggest in Europe and one of the 10 biggest in the world.
Whether it has been planned that way or not by Mr Putin and his generals, it is of immense concern that something so potentially dangerous to millions of people might be caught up in the battle. It’s exactly this kind of situation which provides another argument against the so-called "safety" of nuclear power. Surely — any reasonable-minded person might think — neither side would do anything stupid enough to risk a nuclear accident and a leak of radioactivity which would not respect international borders? And could it even be called an "accident" if it is the direct result of war?
However, the maniacs are happy to continue fighting in the vicinity of the power plant.
Each country blames the other for this nuclear brinkmanship and, as always in war, it is hard to know who is telling the truth. The fact residents of nearby towns and cities have been queueing for iodine tablets as a possible protector against radiation should ram home how nervous they are and how frightening this is becoming.
What is even more concerning is that nobody in the region could claim they do not understand the potential for devastation from a nuclear accident. Just 700km as the electron flies from Zaporizhzhia is the now-ghostly Chernobyl plant, which went into meltdown following operator error in April 1986.
That tragedy vies with the March 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan as the world’s worst nuclear accident. More than 100,000 locals were evacuated from exclusion zones around Chernobyl, and the area around the plant, which was itself covered over by a large lid, remains highly radioactive and not expected to be "cleaned up" much before 2065.
International Atomic Energy Agency officials have finally been given clearance to enter Zaporizhzhia to inspect the plant and assess any damage and how well its safety systems are working.
It is essential they are allowed to do this work without any interference or threat of violence.
Any side blocking their work or doing anything which could lead to a nuclear catastrophe would be guilty of the most heinous crimes against humanity and the environment.
